A P Foster’s Cliffhanger follows Philip Sanders, a widowed television researcher who moves to Manhattan with his young son Chris after his wife Ellie is declared dead in an airline disaster. In their new Upper West Side apartment, forwarded letters from Ellie’s office include an unsettling photograph of an unidentified girl, leaving Philip questioning how well he knew his wife. His sister Eileen arranged the apartment through property magnate Jake Sculler, whose plans to convert the building into cooperative ownership have angered its residents. Meanwhile, a booming crack trade has made the surrounding streets increasingly dangerous. When Lilian Andallo, an aide to a city councilor, asks Philip to help investigate a possible connection between drug dealing and neighborhood redevelopment, he finds himself pursuing questions that may threaten the home he is trying to rebuild for Chris.

A P Foster’s Cliffhanger is an outstanding 1980s conspiracy thriller that gives readers plenty to get excited about. The author understands how much a hero’s humanity counts, giving Philip a genuine tenderness that feels wonderfully natural. You see it during Chris’s first ski lesson in Vermont, when Philip’s affection for the boy comes shining through. That connection gives his determination to protect Chris tremendous heart as danger escalates. Tiny, Philip’s flamboyant actor friend, is a joy, bringing wicked humor to their bogus cable television interview with a property executive. Their unlikely partnership is deliciously entertaining as they confront the ruthless people behind the city’s worsening crime. The suspense is beautifully handled, especially at a public television fundraising studio where operators field calls as danger approaches. Even an aging Manhattan gym feels ominous, its swimming pool glittering beneath the exercise room. Readers who appreciate gritty conspiracy mysteries are in for a treat. Very highly recommended.

Philip Sanders' seemingly picture-perfect life falls apart when the plane his wife is returning home on crashes, killing everyone on board. He struggles to help his young son cope with the aftermath of this terrible loss while juggling the investigation of a lifetime. As he nears restoring normalcy to his life, he stumbles upon shocking information that defies logic. He can no longer rest until he finds out what really happened to his wife during the course of that ill-fated flight. Philip doesn't know it yet, but his determination to get concrete answers will drag the grieving family man into a deadly web of lies and deceit in A.P. Foster's Cliffhanger.

A.P. Foster's Cliffhanger is the first installment in his Zone of Deceit trilogy. His blend of flashbacks and painfully deep conversations between Philip and his son crafts an emotional origin story many readers can instantly relate to. The dialogue shifts between investigative and conversational as the narrative moves between Philip's work-related investigation and his digging into his wife's activities. Foster shows how Philip copes with his grief, managing conflicting emotions as he interacts with those around him. One example is the incident at his son's school, where he has to explain their plight to school authorities. This blend of detail with a descriptive narrative style creates a fast-paced, realistic story. Laced with strategically placed clues that require out-of-the-box thinking to solve, along with a series of tension-soaked encounters, this is a combination that mystery and action enthusiasts will find too irresistible to set aside.